This year DW and I will have enough time in Paris to see some areas and sights we have missed. We will be there in late June. Planning on going to the Basilique St-Denis.

We understand that this is in a working class, and ethnically diverse neighborhood. But even the Fodor's 2009 Paris Guidebook (a knockout guidebook) doesn't suggest any place for a glass of wine or light lunch.

Surely there is a cafe or ethnic restaurant that warrants a recommendation.

If we go on a market day (believe Tuesday, Friday and Saturday - although some of the sources disagree) would there be "street food" that would be interesting?

Thanks in advance.
Steve

There's a KFC on the main street.

Hi boca,

There are thousands of restos in France.

Find one.

Look at the menu on the door.

Look inside.

Just how wrong could you possibly be?

Enjoy your visit,

We were there in March and took the Metro to St.-Denis Basilique, visited the basilica, then walked about 1/4-1/2 mile down a main street to the RER station to return to Paris. I didn't notice any restaurants along the way, but wasn't really looking. There are quite a few restaurants listed on the Tourist Office site:
http://www.saint-denis-tourisme.com/...stauration.htm
Several of those look interesting and are located near the basilica.

I get it.

thanks Maine GG and all.

Steve

I can't even remember where we took refreshment on our last trip to St-Denis, but it was kind of a no-brainer to look at menus posted and find a place to eat.

Steve,

1) Le Verdiots, 26 Boulevard Marcel Sembat Ph 0142422433. Old world good restaurant, nice food ,set menu €20.00.Open Fri-Sun nights only.
lunch every day.10 min walk from Basilica well worth a visit. Tell Patrick you were recommended to come to his restaurant..
2)Le Mets Du Roy,4Rue Boulangerie Ph 0142432433.The owner calls himself the"talking menu".Almost directly opposite the Basilica ,would consider itself very select,the food is a bit overated the wine is expensive.
3)Les Arts, 6Rue Boulangerie Ph 0142432240. A few doors away from No2. Can be fantastic or just ok.Middle price range difficult to get the opening times.

Generally there are plenty of good restaurants in this old area but you need to look and not just storm in and storm out .The market is on Saturday but only just about worth a visit.There are small museums in the area that are hidden gems, if you want more details come back.

D.M

Thank you so much Desmurphy. Le Verdiots looks like exactly what we need. Looks like above average food at reasonable price. Its a metro stop before the Basilique, so we can go there first and "walk off our lunch". After our visit we can sit an have a drink at one of the cafes around the Basilique.

Appreciate your offer about some small museums. My family kids me that I would go 40 miles out of my way to see the world's largest ball of string. But for my wife, one cultural/historic visit a day is enough. So will please her and not try any add-ons.

Steve

I'm interested in the hidden gem museums, whether I get there or not.

Me too!!

The museums aren't hidden IMO, they are well-known museums that should be listed in any guidebook that covers that area, they aren't secrets. There is the Christofle silver-makers museum, but the Art and History Museum in St Denis is particularly good and has a good section on the Paris Commune, most notably as I haven't seen anything like that elsewhere. It is in an old Carmelite convent and has some good artifacts of that.

http://www.musee-saint-denis.fr/

Desmurphy,

Thanks for recommendation of Le Verdiots. My wife and I had their daily lunch 12.50€ formula. Salads. For the main course I had Basque spiced pork, very good. My wife had a mushroom omelet- unforgettabley wonderful!

The mushrooms were chanterelles, and they tasted like they had been sauted in a combination of olive oil, duck fat, and garlic until correctly cooked, and then folded into the omelet at the last minute.

Both dishes had a side of sinfully delicious home fried/baked potatoes, that probably had duck fat as the secret.

Some flan for dessert, a carafe of crisp white wine.... Just what we needed for not much €.

Best regards
Steve

Thanks for posting your follow-up, Steve, about the meal. Sounds like my kind of place, if I am ever so lucky as to be in the neighborhood.

Don't remember the name , but as you exit the church there is a cafe right across the square. Had a nice lunch there,